Adopted
by XxCrash.And.BurnXx
Summary: **AU** John Winchester is found dead after a fatal fight with a creature. His sons, at the ages of 12 and just-recently-17, are adopted by a young couple in Lawrence. Wee!chesters-Teen!chesters. **NOT WINCEST/SLASH!**
1. Day 1: Rooms and Rules

Adopted

**Adopted**

Summary: John Winchester is found dead after a fatal fight with a creature. His sons, at the ages of 12 and just-recently-17, are adopted by a young couple in Lawrence. Dean's set on thinking there's a reason other than kindness and, determined to figure it out, falls into their family pattern as if he has no problem.

Rating: T; a little language, and some things later on. Wincest-free!

:)

--

Dean Winchester took a step back from his father's grave, towards his twelve year old brother standing on the path a few feet away and tried not to let his mind wander. With eyes red and puffy, Sam sniffled and abruptly wiped tears from his cheeks with the sleeve of his jacket. The social worker Julie Christian was standing nearby, watching from under the water-resistant fabric of her umbrella and the light rainfall. The sky was dark; a storm was brewing, but she didn't feel the need to pull the boys away just yet; not until the thunder rumbled and a flash of lightning danced across the sky above their heads.

"Boys, c'mon, we've gotta go!" the blonde called out, her tone gentle.

Sam looked over to where Julie was standing with the sad look still set on his features. He was about to walk away when he realized his brother was still focused on the gravestone accompanied by an American flag. "Dean," he started. His voice was quiet, but it caught the elder's attention.

Dean cleared his throat. "Coming, Sammy," he said, voice hoarse. He spared one last look at the headstone and followed Sam towards the car. He made sure Sammy was in the backseat before he got in the passenger side, somewhat reluctantly, and buckled up.

"The Connors' are really excited to have you boys," Julie stated gently as if it'd make the idea of adoption better. "They're a nice couple, Dean." She directed it towards him only because she knew he was angry about the situation; he'd said it plain and clear that he didn't need to live in some stranger's house just because social services didn't believe he could take better care of his brother than anyone else ever would. "Try to be nice atleast, please?"

Dean felt the need to give her some response as she had been nice to him and his brother in the time spent with them. He couldn't think of anyone that wanted two teenage boys, recently turned orphans, living in their home, but he could only guess that there had to be a reason the Connors family were adopting; one he intended to find out.

He shrugged a shoulder in reply to her request and went on with concentrating on the passing, wet scenery.

Within minutes they pulled up to a twentieth century Tudor home with a brick arch in the driveway, occupied by the 1967 Chevy Impala Dean found as the one familiar thing he had left other than Sam.

"You boys ready?" Julie inquired with a comforting smile.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Dean murmured as he stepped out of the car. Sam followed his example, but his big brother flipped his hood up over his head until they were at the front door under the porch.

Julie rang the doorbell and spared a glance at the younger Winchester; distraught, exhausted and moving into a strangers' home because of the supposed lack of guardians; she had the feeling Dean could own up to the responsibility of being a parent to his brother, but holding down a job didn't seem to hold the same amount of ease.

The thick front door opened, revealing a slender young woman in her late twenties with dark brown hair, kind eyes and a smile; she was wearing denim shorts and a black t-shirt with faded purple and pink lettering that said, "You Shook Me All Night Long."

"Hey, Julie," she greeted, her voice uneasy. "Boys."

"Hi, Emily; I'm sure you remember Sam and Dean." Julie looked to the Winchester boys. "Guys."

They each scrounged up a quiet, "hi" for the blonde's nice attitude. An awkward silence later, Emily backed out of the doorway for the brothers to come in, but Julie backed out then, stating that they should get comfortable with each other; she left a phone number, made sure to get some sort of reaction from the boys, and then was on her way.

Dean stood tensely in the front hall, examining the pictures on the old corridor's walls; the one that was currently holding his attention was hidden in a dimmer corner of the den to the right of the entrance. He couldn't figure out why the photograph had been hung if it was going to be disguised in darkness like that.

"So. . ." the brunette drawled for a minute, trying to find a way to break the tension, "I was making something to eat; either one of you hungry?"

Sam looked up from his rain-spotted coat sleeves and hesitated to nod.

"How 'bout you, Dean? . . .Dean?"

"What?" he asked, suddenly brought back from his curiosity about the hidden picture.

"Are you hungry?"

He looked over at Sam whose big eyes were clearly hoping he'd say yes.

"Yeah, sure." Okay, that was a lie. He could guarantee he'd spend more of his time playing with his food and watching while Emily tried to make conversation, but he followed her into the kitchen regardless, Sammy on his trail.

The kitchen was brighter than expected since the rest of the house seemed to have darker settings, but the room they were currently standing in had off-white cupboards, light-colored hardwood floorboards and marble-topped counters. All the appliances were either white or off-white because those had been sitting there longer. The walls were painted light yellow with vines laced throughout the in-betweens of the cupboards and the window over the sink overlooking the backyard.

"I was making a sandwich, but I'm not really sure what you guys like," Emily stated as she walked over to the cupboard by the stove, her bare feet faintly brushing against the smooth hardwood floor. "There's macaroni and cheese in here, I can make that."

Dean glanced at his brother and decided he wasn't going to answer for himself. "Yeah, that's good. Sammy loves his mac and cheese." It was a small light-hearted chuckle for the younger's sake, but it was almost hopeless since Sam barely cracked a smile.

A smile flickered across the brunette's face as well as she pulled out a box of Kraft's macaroni and cheese. With the water boiling on the stovetop, she took a bite of her sandwich and settled into a chair next to the younger of the two boys.

"I can show you two your rooms while that's cooking, if you want," she said. "Sam, sweetie, you look like you need some sleep."

Sam looked up at her and shrugged limply.

"C'mon, I'll show you guys around."

Dean gestured for his brother to follow first and he obliged. Just as Emily stepped out of the kitchen, a grin spread across her face as the front door closed.

Dressed in a suit and tie, briefcase in a hand, a man looking to be about six foot and in his late twenties was standing by the doorway of the den. He'd just shrugged out of his shoes and coat when his wife spotted him and a smile spread on his features when he realized that the boys were already there.

"Hey, Em," he grinned, running a hand through his short, spiked and wet jet black hair. "Boys."

"Sam, Dean, you remember my husband, Robert; Rob," Emily said, her gaze flickering between the brothers.

Dean nodded, his facial expression not as soft as it should've been for his little brother's sake. "Yeah," he stated simply. Sam nodded also but made no move to speak.

"I was just about to show them their rooms, but there's some mac and cheese on the stove; mind keeping an eye on it for me?" she requested.

"Nope, not at all." He gave her an encouraging smile before she started off to the wide set of wooden stairs.

When the three of them made it upstairs, Emily pointed out that directly across from the top of the stairs was a TV room with video and board games for them; she mentioned that although Robert seemed to be all business, once a week, him and his buddies got together for a game night in there. Their bedroom was off to the far left down a narrow corridor that also held the bathroom. To the right of where they were standing at the top of the steps, was Sam's bedroom. The room was painted red with a double bed, a desk with a brand new Mac computer and a dresser next to the doorway.

"Julie said you were pretty into your school work," Emily said nervously, trying to get some reaction out of the younger boy.

He looked up at her, smiling subtly and nodding. "I like it," he stated.

"I'm glad," she replied. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she turned back to lead the boys through the game room and up a small set of three steps into the room she pointed out as Dean's.

The walls were a darker, navy blue with several Metallica and AC/DC posters spread out throughout the room. There was a large stereo set up on top the dresser and other than the set of speakers flanking it, it had a surround sound set mounted to each corner of the room. His room also had a desk with a brand new Mac, but the desk wasn't quite as official looking as Sammy's had been; he was kind of glad; she didn't expect him to use it for much more than the computer. The queen sized bed had a simple black comforter on it with navy blue sheets.

"I saw the tapes in your car, I thought. . ."

"Not bad," Dean assured her. "Definitely not bad."

"Thanks," she smiled. "Um… House rules; not many, really. I'm not gonna bother containing food and drinks to the kitchen, but if you spill something…atleast clean it up," she chuckled. "Uh, Dean, curfew's at one a.m., but can be extended depending on circumstances. Friends are welcome to stay over on weekends, as long as you quiet down by twelve. During the week, dinner's usually at five thirty, I won't force you to help with dishes as long as you clean up your own. Homework after dinner, then you're free for the rest of the night. In bed by ten, Sam, light's out at ten thirty. That's really it; there aren't many chores to do around here. The only thing I won't make you clean is your room unless it gets ridiculous or there's company coming over and that doesn't happen often. So you guys are free to do as you please tonight."

"Em!" Robert's voice echoed from downstairs. "What do you want me to do with this macaroni?"

"Oh, crap," she muttered. "Sam, you still want the mac and cheese?"

Sam nodded and followed her back towards the stairs, looking back to see if his brother was following.

"I'm gonna stay up here for a little bit and watch TV, Sammy," Dean said, giving his brother a nod of encouragement. "Bring your food up here and join me, if you want."

Emily started down the stairs, figuring the younger boy could find his way back to the kitchen when he was ready.

"Go on, man, if you're hungry. You'll be fine."

Sam reluctantly went back downstairs to find the adults talking in the kitchen. He felt weird interrupting, but grateful when Robert noticed him in the doorway before he had to.

"Hey, kiddo," he said with a friendly smile. He still hadn't changed out of his suit, but he'd taken the coat and tie off.

The brunette standing in front of him turned around. "How much of this do you want, Sam?" she asked, gesturing to the pot of cheese-covered noodles.

"I um. . .just a bowl, please," he said quietly.

"Sure thing sweetie," she smiled, pulling a bowl out of the cupboard and letting Rob dish up the still steaming macaroni.

"Here ya go," she grinned, pulling a spoon from the drawer, "Be careful, it's still hot."

"'Kay," Sam mumbled, shifting on his feet. "I'm just gonna…go eat this, with Dean," he said nervously, turning around and heading back up the stairs.

--

"Hey, squirt," Dean said as his brother came back in, crawling in the middle of his bed and sitting Indian style. "Don't get any of that junk on my bed."

"I won't," Sam grinned back, offering Dean a spoonful when he came to sit down beside him.

Dean smirked and ate the proffered food before leaning back against his headboard. "It's a decent set up, I guess," he said quietly.

Sam stirred the mac and cheese around in his bowl but stayed quiet.

"Hey, you wanna watch a movie? I got surround sound."

"Sure," Sam smiled, leaning back against the headboard with him and sharing his macaroni as Dean found something on the TV set up on a wall mount above the stereo.

--

Dean looked over at Sam, snoring softly and carefully took the bowl from his limp hands.

"Hey dude," he whispered, nudging him with his elbow.

"Hmm?" Sam mumbled, cracking his eyes open.

"Time for bed, buddy."

Sam's face fell. "Oh…okay," he murmured, slipping off the bed and making his way for the door.

Dean sighed and walked with him down the hall.

"Night Sam," he said quietly.

"Night Dean," Sam said back, watching as Dean's silhouette backed out of the room, closing his door as he went.

He changed into his pajamas and glanced at the clock. It was quarter to eleven but it was Friday night; not a school night. Even with that, he decided he was too tired to stay up any later. He'd fallen asleep in Dean's room once already. Crawling into the bed, curling up under the thick blanket, he found it comforting that the room had no freaky shadows. The hall light flicked on in the hallway, giving off a small amount of light under the crack of his door. He could see the shadow of someone's feet at the door and stayed quiet as it opened for a moment and then closed again before the light turned off again outside his bedroom. It was silent in the room, but not eerily silent; just weird that he couldn't hear his big brother snoring a few feet away in the other bed. There wasn't even another bed. It was completely quiet except for his breathing, yet Sam was too tired to be disturbed by this and almost immediately fell asleep again.

_Sam sat quietly crying – paralyzed – in the corner of the old, abandoned cabin the demon was holding in. His father and the Demon were talking and fighting, but he could hear nothing. Dean entered the room and __when he tried calling out to warn Dean not to get in the middle__Sam discovered he was mute, as well. He had no ability to move, to speak, to hear; all he could do was watch uselessly as his big brother soon became part of the battle. It didn't last long; they were fighting a Demon after all. John went down first and despite the urge to scream for his father – even if it could do nothing for the lifeless, older man – he was more concerned for Dean. Only seventeen, facing the Yellow-Eyed Demon their father had been hunting down since they were kids. He screamed silently even as Dean, too, fell to the wooden floorboards, bloody and clinging to life by a thread. And Sam was still unable to move from the corner. The Demon left; leaving him to fend for himself at twelve years old._

Despite the fear that his brother was somehow hurt, Sam stayed curled up under the covers, shivering in the silence that now seemed TOO quiet. After a few minutes, he was still freaked out enough to the point where he didn't want to be alone in the unfamiliar room. With a quick count to three, he ran out of his room and through the TV room to his brother's bedroom.

Dean was lying on his stomach – snoring – half covered by the blanket and sheets twisted around his legs.

"Dean," he whispered. "Are you awake?"

"Mm, what's wrong, Sammy?" he mumbled.

"Can't sleep," he said.

The elder Winchester's eyes opened to look up at him, curiously; knowingly. "C'mon," he relented, sitting up and untangling his limbs from the linens. "Same one?" he asked, referring to the nightmare that had constantly been haunting his little brother since their father's death; he sat up against the headboard, fighting a yawn.

Sam nodded as he cuddled into his brother's side under the blankets. Dean reached over for the remote on the nightstand and turned on the TV, making sure the volume was low, even if he couldn't hear it. Both of them fell asleep within minutes, the television a makeshift nightlight with the changing hues of a movie with dark settings.

**A/N: First chapter! Complete! I really hope everyone enjoys this story because this is my first work at a brotherly fic; vs. romance. Of course, I have plans for a little romance for the boys, but the main focus of this story is the brothers' relationship. :)**

**Please leave some feedback; I really want to know what everyone thinks.**

**XxCrash.And.BurnXx**

**P.S. Lots of love to Monte (Renegade87) for her help! Not only on this story, but on all my other pointless Supernatural adventures; some of which you'll probably never see, but she puts up with me anyway! (:**


	2. Day 2: 1102 in Ink

CHAPTER TWO

**CHAPTER TWO**

Dean woke up with a stiff neck, thanks to his position sleeping upright against the headboard of his bed. Without disturbing Sammy, he threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from his still-to-be-unpacked duffle and closed the door behind him as he trudged towards the staircase. Approaching the bottom, he crossed the hall to the kitchen, grinning to himself at the smell of bacon and eggs wafting throughout the downstairs.

Emily, clad obviously in one of her husband's t-shirts, a pair of shorts with her hair thrown back messily in a clip, was sitting at the counter, quietly eating her breakfast. She smiled at Dean as he entered the room. "You want some breakfast?"

"Sounds good," he said with a sigh, relaxing in a bar stool next to her while trying to relieve the tight muscles in his neck. Only moments later, she set down a plate full of bacon, scrambled eggs and two slices of burnt toast. "Just the way I like it," he grinned, taking a bite of the charcoal-colored bread.

"Where's Sam?"

Swallowing, he answered, "He got a little freaked out in his room last night. He's sleeping in my room."

The brunette's face fell. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine now. Nightmares lumped with new territory just didn't go over well." Dean took a huge bite out of a strip of bacon and shoved a forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth.

Just then, the sliding glass door in the living room behind them pulled open. Robert came in from the back yard in swim trunks, towel-drying his hair. He draped the towel over his broad shoulders, his arm muscles flexing as he tightened his hands around the ends draped over his chest. His wife didn't seem to mind that his shorts were dripping all over the hardwood as he approached her. "Mornin'," he greeted both of them, placing a swift kiss on Emily's cheek as he plucked a piece of bacon from her plate.

"Hey!" she squeaked. "Hands off the grub!"

He chuckled, continuing to chew the stolen food as he wrapped his arms around her, purposely getting her all wet.

She made a face. "Rob!"

Dean couldn't help but roll his eyes. This man's right bicep was in his face and the tattoo—the tattoo certainly caught his attention. In black ink was the date **11.02**. The exact date of his mother's death, only lacking the year; his brother's half birthday, but Robert Connor wouldn't have had it there for the same reason. No; thinking that would be idiotic. But Dean was curious.

"Eleven oh two?"

The room seemed to quiet as the smiles on the adults' faces dissipated.

"I'm gonna go jump in the shower…" Robert murmured before immediately disappearing into the front hall, towards the stairs.

Just as Dean was about to ask what he'd said, Emily quietly stated, "It is…," she swallowed hard, "_was_," she forced the word out, eyes closed and her jaw set as if she didn't believe it, "our daughter's birthday."

Before either one of them could say anything more, Sam silently entered the kitchen, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "M'rin'," he mumbled.

"Good morning to you, too, man," Dean chuckled, ruffling his brother's hair and hoping to stray away from the subject that had just been at hand. If Emily shed even a tear, that conversation would turn awkward _real _fast.

"So you didn't make any plans for today, yet, did you?" she asked, her generally friendly voice back to normal.

"I think Sammy and me were gonna check out the neighborhood," the elder brother said quickly, glancing over at the twelve year old to his right.

Sam nodded in agreement.

"Alright, um, don't stay gone for too long. I'll say be back before dinner."

"Okay."

--

Dean liked the calm the drive brought on. Surprisingly, he felt a familiar vibe from the streets of Lawrence even with having not been there in thirteen years so between the rumble of the Impala's engine and his baby brother in the passenger seat with the ghost of a smile on his face, Dean was content.

One street he felt bizarrely attached to, though. Even just after looking at the sign, it rang bells but nothing came together until he saw the house. The house he'd spent the first four years of his life in. One corner of the house was still black as coal, yet to be repaired so it could be sold to some other family he had a feeling would get their bad luck. Just looking at the damn thing upset him and he didn't realize he'd pulled over only to stare at it – almost longingly – until Sam touched his arm.

"Dean?"

"What?" The elder Winchester brother snapped out of his daze and looked at Sam's concerned expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Sammy," he replied, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "I'm okay. You wanna go to the park for a little bit before we head home?"

Sam blinked a few times, as if he was trying to understand what was hidden behind the crooked façade his brother wore. The masquerade fell into place as the car started even without an answer from the younger sibling. "Yeah, okay."

--

The Winchester brothers spent longer at the park than planned. When they finally arrived home, their adoptive parents were just sitting down for dinner.

Dean entered the dining room first. "Sorry we're late. Lost track of time at the park," he said immediately. He felt his brother grab a fistful of the back of his t-shirt, somehow desperately terrified they had their first item on the list of _To-Don'ts, Done_.

"It's alright, come on," Emily replied, gesturing for them to pick a chair. Sam's grip loosened, but he didn't move from his spot behind his big brother until Dean gave him the okay.

Dean ruffled his hair and gave him a gentle push towards the table to take a seat. His brother obliged, but didn't relax until Dean was settled into the chair next to him.

Robert sat at the opposite head of the table, facing the elder of the boys. "You guys have fun?" He seemed to be directing the question towards Sam.

In between scoops of mashed potatoes to his plate, he managed to nod. "Yeah," he answered quietly.

Dinner went on without a sound outside of the clanking silverware and occasional small conversation between husband and wife about typical-life things.

--

"C'mon, kiddo," Dean clapped his brother's shoulder and stood up. "Bedtime."

Sam let out a defeated sigh and glanced at the clock. "You're obeying a rule?" he asked at the realization that it was ten 'o clock.

"Nope, you are. C'mon," he urged, forcing him towards the stairs. "Get your ass in that bed, there's school tomorrow."

Sam rolled his eyes and trudged upstairs. Crawling into bed, he glared at his brother from across the room. "Happy?"

"I'm gonna watch TV up here for a little bit so if you need me, call me," Dean stated, clearly referring to nightmares.

"'Kay. Night, Dean."

"Night," he replied, switching off the light and closing the door behind him.

**A/N: Hey, loves! I'm sorry this took longer than I expected. It's not even long but I decided that their first day of school – considering what I have planned for it – should be its own lengthy brother!awesome chapter, ha-ha.**

**Leave reviews anyway? (:**

**XxCrash.And.BurnXx**


	3. Day 3: First Day Irrelevant

CHAPTER THREE

**CHAPTER THREE**

"You gonna be okay all by yourself, little bro?"

The infamous 1967 Impala was pulled to a stop along the curb by Lawrence South Junior High as the younger of the Winchester brothers stepped out for his first day at the unfamiliar school.

"I'll be fine, Dean," he replied ever-so-quietly. His voice could barely be heard over the rumble of the car's engine.

"Call me if you need me?"

"I'm gonna be fine," Sam insisted, his voice firm and louder now; not angry, just annoyed. "Thanks for dropping me off." His voice was soft again.

"Don't cause any trouble, Sammy," Dean chuckled before the muscle car pulled out of the parking lot and cruised down the road.

**--SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

Sam's first couple classes had gone fine, a little awkward yeah, especially when his second period teacher made him stand up and introduce himself, but other than that they had been okay.

He was making his way down the hallway, they had a fifteen minute break before the next class started and he wasn't sure where to go, so he was just walking down the halls slowly.

He managed to turn the corner just in time to see some thug of an eighth grader slam some other kid's face into the lockers right in front of him.

Sam could hear the crunch of bone, saw the flash of red blood that sprayed from the kid's nose, nasty bubbles bursting as he struggled to breath through the thick liquid.

The eighth grader slammed a fist into his stomach, the kid doubling over with a groan of pain just to have his nose once again slammed into by a knee.

By that time the security and half dozen teachers were all rushing from the hallways converging on the pack of kids that had been circling the fight like wolves around a wounded calf.

Sam, eyes still glazed over and focusing on the pool of blood that was being smeared across the floor with frantic footsteps realized he couldn't breathe and took off for the bathrooms around the corner behind him, evading the snatching hands of the teachers as they tried to round up the kids.

Fifteen minutes later when the late bell rang for third period, there was a seat assigned to Sam Winchester that sat empty.

It wasn't until another twenty minutes later when one of the custodians making his rounds found Sam curled up in the corner of the handicapped bathroom stall, knees drawn up to his chest, backpack clutched to his chest and face buried against the canvas.

"Hey kid, you alright?"

There was a muffled sniffle but no answer.

"Hey, you're gonna get in trouble for skipping, you better go to class."

Again there was no answer, and when the man reached out to touch Sam's shoulder, Sam jolted, feet scrambling across the floor to push himself further back into the corner.

"Don't touch me!"

**--SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

"Emily Connor."

"Hi, Mrs. Connor, this is Mr. Casillo the principal at Lawrence South Junior High."

"Hi, Mr. Casillo, is everything okay?"

"Actually no ma'am, it's not. Sam didn't show up for his history class and he was found in the boy's bathroom in tears. One of our custodians found him. He's at the guidance counselor's office now, but we can't get him to tell us what's wrong. I'm aware of his situation…with the death of his father and all, I just think he may need a familiar face right now."

"I'll be right there," she said, chest tight as she snatched up her keys.

**--SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

Emily had run every possible scenario through her head during the ten minute drive to the school, none of them making her feel anymore at ease.

When she finally made it to the counselor's office, Sam was sitting in a chair off to the side, backpack clutched in his lap, staring at his shoes.

"Hi, Mrs. Connor," Mr. Casillo smiled.

"Emily, please," she said politely, walking over to Sam and setting down her purse in the chair beside her as she took a seat.

"Hey Sam, honey…Mr. Casillo said you didn't go to class," she said, eyeing his puffy eyes and figuring the boy didn't want to be reminded that he had been crying. "You mind telling me why?"

Sam shook his head, fiddling with the zipper pull on his backpack and Emily met Mr. Casillo's concerned eyes.

Ten minutes, a glass of water and a bribe of being able to go home later and they still hadn't been able to get Sam to utter more than a simple 'no.'

**--SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

"Has he acted like this since he came to live with you?"

"No, I mean, he's been quiet, which I can understand, it's a big change you know, but he's never just clammed up like this. The boy has manners, his Dad was a marine, that was one thing he taught him," she said, watching him through the small window in the door.

"You're welcome to check him out and take him home if you want, but honestly I think maybe our counselor should step in. Mrs. White has training with things like this."

"Actually…" Emily started to say, trying to think what could possibly shake Sam this bad. "Is it okay if I leave for just a few minutes? He's really attached to his brother, I'll head over to the high school and check him out, if Sam won't talk to Dean he won't talk to anyone."

"Sure, no problem."

"Thanks, Mr. Casillo," she said, polite smile as she walked back to her car.

**--SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

"What do you mean he's not in his class?"

"He never showed up today, his first period teacher marked him absent as well," the old lady behind the desk at the high school office said.

"Thanks," Emily said, starting to turn back towards the door. "I'm gonna kick his ass," she hissed, yanking her cell phone out as she heard the lady behind her chuckle.

**--SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

"Slow down, baby," Dean grinned, kissing his way up some random girl's neck.

It took him a minute to realize that vibrating on his thigh was coming from his phone and not her.

He was tempted to leave it, but remembered telling Sam to call him if he needed him and pushed the girl off of his lap.

"Just gimme a minute sweetheart," he grinned, watching her pout.

He flipped it open, brow drawing down when he saw Emily's number listed.

"Shit…" He hissed in a quick breath before putting his ear to the phone. "Hello?"

"You better have a _damned_ good reason you're not in class."

_Shit_.

Dean glanced over at Ashley…or Alicia, or whatever her name was, shirt half unbuttoned.

"Umm…"

"You better believe you're gonna be in trouble for this Dean, but right now I need you to come to the Junior High, something happened with Sam. They found him in the bathroom crying and he won't talk to anyone," she said in a rush, voice going soft again.

"Shit, I'll be right there Emily," he said, snapping his phone shut and unceremoniously kicking the girl from the car, leaving black skid marks as he took off for the school.

**--SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

Emily waited outside the school's office, hearing the roar of the Impala's engine, followed quickly by the squeal of tires as Dean tore into the parking lot, sliding the car haphazardly into a parking spot.

"Where is he?" he growled, door slamming shut as he marched across the parking lot, not waiting for Emily to catch up with him.

"In the counselor's office," she said, falling into step behind him, eyeing the tight line of his shoulders and tick in his jaw as his stride ate up the ground across the blacktop, breaking into a jog as he neared the glass doors.

"Sammy?" he shouted as soon as he yanked it open, the receptionist's head shooting up wide eyed. Dean may have only been seventeen but he was still a force to be reckoned with.

"_Quiet_," Emily hissed, grabbing Dean's elbow and yanking him towards the office to the left, unnerved by the way Dean let her drag him along.

"Sam," he rumbled, pushing past Mr. Casillo when he spotted him through the doorway, boots thudding heavily against the thin carpet before he slid to his knees in front of Sam. "Sammy?" he asked, hands cupping Sam's knees.

Mr. Casillo and Emily eased their way out of the office, shutting the door quietly behind them. Both knowing that this was something they shouldn't be hanging over their shoulders for.

"C'mon man, talk to me," Dean whispered, voice choked when he saw Sam's red eyes.

"There was a lot of blood," Sam whispered, eyes still pinned to the ground.

Dean swallowed hard, "Where?" he asked, his eyes darting over Sam in search of nonexistent wounds.

"Some kid…he got beat up…there was so much blood Dean," Sam said quietly, voice breaking as he finally met Dean's eyes.

Dean swallowed again, "Did you get hurt?"

Sam shook his head, reaching up to scrub his sleeve across his face. "I ran…but the blood…Dean, all I could see was Dad," he said, voice hitching.

"I know buddy, c'mere," he said, sliding Sam off the seat, his arms wrapping around Dean's neck.

**--SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

Emily wiped an errant tear from her cheek watching the brothers. She couldn't begin to imagine what it must be like for them. Sam saw his father die, and Dean…Dean had to deal with the aftermath, knowing he wasn't there in his father's final moments. Being left behind to care for Sammy. Emily knew without a shadow of a doubt that if Dean had his choice, he would have raised Sam on his own.

She also knew without a shadow of a doubt that he could have done it.

**--SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

Dean picked Sam up out of his chair like he weighed nothing, his little brother's arms still wrapped around his neck, face buried in his neck. He wrapped one arm around Sam's waist and bent down to pick up Sam's backpack, finally heading back towards the door.

Emily smiled sadly, chest tightening when Dean actually returned it, walking past her and carrying Sam back outside to the shelter of the Impala.

**--SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

Upon arriving back at the house, Sam hadn't spoken a word. He'd crawled back into the safety of his shell with its only escape hatch allowed to his brother. Despite how freaked out he had been before leaving the school, within the ten minute ride home, he had slipped into a quiet sleep in the passenger seat of the Impala so Dean carried him inside, Emily not far ahead to unlock the door.

Soon after settling Sammy in his bed, he reluctantly went back downstairs to face the young woman that had recently discovered he hadn't been to school at all that day.

Emily was waiting at the bottom of the staircase. "The only reason I'm not sending you back to school is because of him," she said, her voice firm but quiet.

"I don't doubt it."

"Mind telling me what you were thinking?" she questioned, tone more annoyed now as she followed him towards the living room.

"A little bit, yeah."

The brunette let out a frustrated, strangled sigh. "Dean, I've been extremely patient with you and I get that you don't want to be here, but I can't help that. You _are _here and so is your brother. And if you weren't, who knows where you would've ended up so you can hate me all you want but you've got a year left 'til you can pack your bags to go anywhere else. One bloody year. Why not make the best of it?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Why the _hell_ do you care? You don't know us, it's not like you grew up with us. You have _no idea_ what life was like before this all happened and yeah, I miss it. But the only reason I'm not fighting to leave here is because of Sam. So that one bloody year you mentioned is one year in Picket Fence Hell before I can legally take care of Sam like I planned."

"I've got nothing against you, really, but you had Rob and I on the shit list before you even met us. I'll fight you everyday on crap like this, but don't judge us and we won't judge you. You could end up liking it here if you tried, but if you don't want to then fine. Do whatever. But if I find out you skip school, that one year's just gonna be a year of groundings and useless time. Maybe you'll learn something." She shot him a look before running upstairs to finish what she was doing before she got the phone call from the school.

**--SNSNSNSNSNSN**

Dean had fallen asleep watching TV and when he woke up it was almost three in the afternoon. Somewhat groggily, he sat up and went to retrieve a drink from the kitchen. The pot of water boiling on the stove and the meatloaf in the oven indicated that Emily had started dinner and would return soon enough to the kitchen to check up on it. He had the feeling there was an apology in order since he'd taken a bit of his aggravation out on her earlier and even if it was partially her that caused it, she was being awfully nice to him and Sam. For that, he was grateful. He found a can of pop in the fridge and two sandwiches. "What, am I being punished for mouthing off? No real dinner?" he asked outloud. He soon after realized that he had slept longer than she'd probably expected so they had most likely been meant for lunch. One had Sam's name written on the plastic wrap and the other had a note that clearly read: INCASE YOU'RE HUNGRY, DEAN. Her intentions even after their bickering were still good which meant he really did owe her an apology. But first, he had to check up on Sammy.

Upstairs, one sandwich still wrapped and the other half eaten already in his hand, Dean knocked on his brother's bedroom door. "Sammy?" He kept his voice quiet, just in case Sam had still been sleeping, but he heard noise so that wasn't likely.

The door opened a little bit. "Yeah?" The reply was so quiet it was almost inaudible.

"You want a snack before dinner?" he asked.

Sam hesitated for a moment. "I'm okay."

"Can I come in anyway?"

The door opened enough for Dean to step in and hand his brother the plate. "I'm not hungry, Dean."

"C'mon, man. You haven't eaten anything all day."

"I snuck down earlier for the leftover mac and cheese," he said monotonously, setting down the food nearby.

Dean sighed as he sat down on the bed. "You alright?"

"I'm fine."

"No, seriously."

"Dude, if you're gonna pester me, get out. I don't wanna talk about it."

"Fine," his brother left the room without another word uttered. Just as he was coming downstairs, Robert was coming in the front door.

"Hey, Dean," he said with a tired smile. "How was school?"

"Talk to your wife," Dean replied, disappearing into the living room.

**--SNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

When Emily came back down to check on dinner, her spouse got a full dose of whoa on the day's recap before she called the boys down to eat. Sam didn't come down. His brother went to get him to find he'd fallen asleep in Dean's bed and Dean didn't have the heart to wake him.

"He's asleep," he stated upon returning to the dinner table.

"He wasn't in his room when I came down…" Emily said, confused.

"He's in my room. I left him there, though," he replied.

Robert chuckled, "This mean you're sleeping in his bed?"

"Probably," Dean managed a small laugh at the thought; sleeping in his brother's 'nerd room.'

The duration of the meal wasn't as quiet as the previous night. The Winchester sibling didn't mind joking a bit, but he was concerned for Sammy after the events of today. Just for his own sake, he might have to share his bed with his brother; nightmares were sure to ensue tonight.

**--SNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

Lying in bed at eleven with the TV nightlight muted again, his curiosity got the best of him. After double checking that Sam was still okay in his deep sleep on the other side of the sheets, Dean stole from the room clad in pajama bottoms but no shirt and snuck downstairs.

From what he could tell, Robert was asleep in front of the television in the living room on the couch, but he didn't see his wife. She must've been in bed already so Dean was in the clear to investigate the one thing that had plagued his mind for the past two days; the hidden portrait in the den.

The den was dimly lit by the moonlight just barely shining through the curtains, not enough to really light up the room to a point of seeable, but he wasn't sure he wanted to risk turning on the overhead light. Instead, he switched on the lamp hovering over the keyboard on the desk.

"Perfect," he mumbled to himself. That one little lamp illuminated the shadowy corner the picture was masked in and once Dean realized what had been hidden, he wasn't sure what his initial reaction should've been.

In the photograph, Emily and a little girl, appearing to be about five, were blowing out candles on a cake that read, "Happy Birthday, Lily!" upside down. Therefore, Dean wasn't sure whether he should feel like a jackass for giving the Connors a hard time, being suspicious of the date tattooed on Rob's arm or wondering as to what actually happened to the little girl; Emily hadn't ever told him, so he had the right to be curious about that, atleast. And less of a reason to be suspicious of their intentions.

"Dean?"

He jumped at the sound of Emily's voice. "I'm sorry, I just…"

"What're you doing up?" she asked quietly.

"Curiosity got the best of me, I didn't mean to invade your privacy or anything," he stated.

The brunette smiled sadly as she sat down at the desk. "What do you wanna know?"

"I didn't…"

"You wouldn't have wandered in here had you not had questions. I'd rather you ask me than Rob."

"Well, now that you brought it up," he started. "Your daughter, right? Lily, as far as the cake is concerned?"

"Correct. Just after her fifth birthday."

"Did she … pass or…?"

"I don't know," she replied truthfully. "She went missing just after that picture was taken."

"How old would she be now?"

"She'd only be turning six this year. That was only this past November."

Dean couldn't help but want to flinch. It was still a raw wound, just like the death of his father was to him. He was surprised she was answering his questions this composed. "Still looking?"

"Too early to give up on her," Emily said softly. "Not a day passes I don't wonder if she's still okay, if she's still _alive._ But I keep it to myself."

"Isn't that the reason you're supposed to get married? Other than all that love crap," the way he phrased it made her chuckle, "you're supposed to share shit like that with Robert, aren't you?"

"Not under this circumstance." The tone in which she said it told him not to press the subject or let his curiosity show. Asking why would be too much for this conversation to handle.

"He clams up like Sam does as far as I can tell."

"Yeah, but he won't talk to anyone about it. Sam has you," she said smartly. "Speaking of, is he still sleeping? Like you should be?"

"Curiosity got the best of me, like I said," Dean chuckled. "Thanks, Emily. For, you know," he gestured to the house, "everything." He smiled. "I didn't mean to be a dick earlier."

"Apology accepted," she smirked, "but you're still not off the hook for skipping school."

"So how long am I grounded for?" he sighed.

"The weekend," she smiled. "But I'm having a neighborhood picnic on Saturday, so it's not much of a punishment."

"Thanks," he chuckled at the wink she added before he left the room. "Goodnight, Emily."

"Goodnight." One last moment-long gaze at the photograph on the wall before she switched the light off and went to bed. She still had hope.

**A/N: Holy fuckers. This is actually ten pages long. It most definitely would not have been this long had Monte not written some (most) of it for me. It would've taken me a friggin month plus to get out to you guys!**

**So leave a review to thank Monte! And leave some feedback while the box is open, why don't ya? ;)**

**I hope it was worth the … two day long wait! XD**

**XxCrash.And.BurnXx**


	4. Day 4: Open to Interpretation

SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG!!

**CHAPTER FOUR**

"Sammy?" The creak of the door roused the younger Winchester from his sleep. Glancing around, he realized Dean wasn't entangled in the sheets next to him, but the one just now entering the room. "Morning sunshine," he chuckled.

Sam made a discontented noise as his brother sat on the edge of the bed.

"How ya doing, little bro?"

He shrugged.

"Get past the nightmares?"

He visibly shivered at the question and that told Dean all he needed to know.

"I take it you're not ready to go back to school just yet, huh, bud?"

"Everyone saw what happened; I probably looked like a big baby."

"They don't know the situation, Sammy, just ignore 'em," he stated.

"I wanna stay home."

"I'm not gonna be here. You know that, don't you? I've gotta go to school or Emily's gonna go parental on my ass. So you'll be here with her, you okay with that?"

Sam hesitated for a moment and nodded. "I can call you, right?"

"You qualify as a family emergency so yes you can call me."

"'Kay. Thanks, Dean."

"Go back to sleep," Dean stated, ruffling his brother's hair before he left the room.

In the living room, Emily was curled up in the armchair, reading a book with a very intent look upon her soft features.

"Alright, I'm out, Em," Dean called from the foyer.

"I'll check in on you! I find out you skipped—"

"You'll extend my grounding?"

"Have a nice day!" she called back with a smirk before the front door shut. A few moments later, she heard the rumble of the Impala start. With a sigh, she closed her book and decided it'd be a good reward – to Dean, for surviving his first day – if there were some baked goods at the house when he came home. That is, IF he came home from _school_. In addition to that, she had some cooking to do for the neighborhood picnic that weekend. Their conversation the night before had foretold a mutual respect for one another, though; she was sure he'd learn to respect her husband in a similar way, even if it seemed like he was a replacement for the father the boys had lost.

"Emily?"

The brunette was startled by the twelve year old hiding behind the doorjamb. "Hey, sweetie," she said with a smile.

"I um…I couldn't go back to sleep…," he said quietly.

"I was gonna bake some cookies for the picnic this weekend, you wanna help?"

"What picnic?"

"Robert and I are hosting a picnic here at the house; sort of a welcome to the family kind of thing for you guys. Dean doesn't suspect anything of it being for you two, but I thought you could keep that secret." She smiled. "The entire neighborhood's coming… Maybe you'll make some new friends."

Sam shrugged. "I never really had time to make a lot of friends. We moved around a lot."

"And now you can. I know there are a few kids your age in the neighborhood; and I'm sure you'll meet more at school."

He made a face at the mention of it.

"Still a sore subject?"

"I just felt stupid."

Emily's face fell as she bent down so she was at eye level with him. "Hey," she curled a finger under his chin, gently, so he'd look up at her. "You have a right to be upset over what happened to him, Sam; don't let anyone tell you different. Witnessing something like that isn't a wound that heals easily, but don't feel like you have to hide it from us; Rob and I. I know you feel most comfortable talking to Dean, but we're here, too. Okay? Don't let that escape your attention."

He nodded. "Dean doesn't hate you."

She stared at him blankly for a moment before her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"He has trust issues."

Emily couldn't help but smile at that. "I figured that out," she chuckled, ruffling his hair as she stood up. "So are you gonna help me make some baked goods or what?"

Sam nodded, a smile gracing his lips for the first time she'd seen as he pulled a chair over next to her at the counter and crawled into it.

**LALALALALALALALALA—**

Third period was going rather slow since the teacher – Mr. Ross, U.S. History – was dulling his way through a lecture about what…? God only knew. Dean had taken up an interest in the shy red-head sitting a few seats over from him. She seemed like she'd be the smart type that studied until the cows LEFT the next day, but he still couldn't take his attention away from her.

"Mr. Winchester?"

Dean snapped out of his daze and looked up at the elder man with salt and pepper colored hair. "What?"

"Staring at Miss Fry isn't going to help you catch up. Eyes up here, please," he said with a polite but agitated tone.

The seventeen year old sighed dramatically and turned in his seat to face the front, even if his eyes were still straying to the side to catch a glimpse at the girl that was now blushing at the sudden spotlight – whether only from Dean, or the rest of the class' laughs.

Their eyes were locked for all of five seconds, but it wasn't just pure infatuation. When she finally turned her attention to the front of the room where Mr. Ross was, she tucked a lock of curly red hair behind her ear; which only accented the silver hoop earrings she was wearing that clearly had a yellow lightning bolt diagonal through the center with similar black lettering of the name AC/DC fitted around the yellow. That kept Dean amused for the rest of the period; someone so shy liking the same music as he did.

After class, Dean took his time getting out of his seat, waiting for her to move before he followed her out into the hallway. "Hey," he said, all smiles, as he slowed to a walk so they kept the same pace with her shorter legs.

"Hi," she said shyly.

"So I wanted to talk to you…" he trailed off, hoping she wouldn't shut him down completely.

"That's nice."

"My name's Dean," he offered.

The red-head hesitated for a moment as she stopped in front of a set of lockers by one of many stairwells in the Senior High. "Amy," she replied quietly. "I can't really talk; I have to get to class."

A sudden thought occurred to him; she was a book worm; one of the good girls who would go suicidal if they ever got detention, have a panic attack if they forgot to study, and probably dreaded being late to class as if it was as horrible as death could be so talking to her during school would be a lost cause unless they had the same lunch – which he doubted since this so-called God didn't seem to be on his side a lot lately. With that, he blurted out, "Look, I know you don't know me, but I'm new here and I don't really know my way around…"

"Dean, I have to get to class; you're gonna make me late," she said suddenly, surprising him when her voice came out a bit hurried.

"Okay, fine, you don't have to show me around. I can get lost by myself just fine, but my uh m," he almost stuck with mom, but it was too awkward for him, "adopted mother—Emily, her and her husband are having this huge picnic at the house and I thought maybe—"

"I'll think about it, but I really have to go," she stated. "Goodbye, Dean!" she added with a call over her shoulder as she ran up the stairs to get to her next class.

He grinned triumphantly, but his face fell when the bell rang, telling him he was already supposed to be IN class. "Shit," he murmured as he took off in the direction he assumed was right.

**LALALALALALALALALALALA—**

The third batch of cookies was in the oven already while Emily prepared a pan of brownie mix for when the cookies finished. Sam was happily lapping at the spatula she'd been using for the brownies with a contented smile on his face when the phone rang.

Sam pushed the talk button and put the phone to Emily's ear so she didn't get the messy mix all over the cordless.

"Hello?"

"_Hey, Em, I'm on my way home."_

"You're like…four hours early," she said confused, glancing at the worried look on Sam's face.

"_There's construction going on next door, it'll be easier to work at home."_

"Oh. Okay," his wife replied. "How long?"

"_I'll be there in ten minutes."_

"Hey, do me a favor and drive by the school. See if Dean's car's there."

Robert chuckled. _"Alright. Bye, Em."_

"Love you."

"_You too." _The line clicked and Sam hung up the phone for her before setting it back on the counter.

"Robert's coming home?"

"There's construction going on at his office, they're making lots of noise so he's gonna work here. Is that okay with you? Don't mind sharing the uncooked batter, do ya?" the brunette smiled.

He shook his head, but said nothing else.

Emily immediately took notice of his change in attitude. "What's wrong, Sam?"

"Nothing."

"C'mon, bud, what's on your mind?"

"How come you guys wanted to adopt us?"

The brunette glanced over at him with the ghost of a frown on her face. "What do you mean, sweetie?"

"You and Robert seem like you'd be happier without us."

"What in the world would make you think that?"

"Well, if that's not the case then…I…don't understand why you'd take in older kids when you can have your own… Especially when one of those kids is Dean…"

Emily couldn't help but chuckle at that last part, but it wasn't a completely happy laugh. "C'mere, honey." She held out her hand for him to take and when he did so, she led him to the den where she and Dean had spoken of this topic the previous night. Turning on the light, she sat him in her lap in the chair and pointed out the portrait on the wall. "See the picture?"

"That's you and…who's the little girl?" he asked curiously.

"That's my daughter Lily," she replied softly. "Just after this picture was taken, she was taken from us and even though I loved her very much, I didn't feel like dwelling on her disappearance was going to help. Then I met you guys and I thought even if there is a chance Lily'll come back and need her mom's full attention, I got the feeling you guys needed a good family to grow up in. So despite the fact that I know Dean could've taken great care of you, I secretly think he wanted someone to look after him like he looks after you."

"I don't know…" Sam sighed. "Dean's a stubborn pain in the butt."

Emily couldn't contain the laugh that escaped her. "Yeah, well, I can be, too so he'll get a taste of his own medicine."

"I think he needs it."

"Well, then maybe you can help me dish it out, huh? Would putting rats in his bed freak him out?"

Sam couldn't help but grin. Dean HATED rats. He nodded excitedly. "He hates them!"

"Alright," she grinned, high fiving the twelve year old just before Robert peeked in with a subtle, but upset look on his face.

"Hey, Em," he said hesitantly. "What're you guys up to?"

"Nothing, I was just showing Sam the office," she smiled, sliding Sam off her lap and standing up to give her husband a kiss.

"Lily has your smile," Sam stated innocently, glancing between Rob and the photograph hanging six inches above his head, oblivious to how much that comment would hurt the elder man.

Robert's face fell, at first, but despite the tears forming at the rims of his dark green eyes, he knelt in front of Sam with a sad smile. "You two would've gotten along great," he replied hoarsely. "She loved school."

Emily couldn't help but smile herself. The younger Winchester didn't seem genuinely terrified to be alone with the two of them like he normally did. And he looked somewhat happy, but she was more surprised with her husband. He hadn't even spoken to her about their missing five year old since it had upset him so greatly, but he was opening up a little to their newly adopted children more than she'd hoped.

"We made some chocolate chip cookies, Rob," she interjected. "I'm sure we can spare a few."

Now smiling again, the tears disappearing from his eyes, but the hoarseness of his voice still remaining, he kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Emily," he said sweetly. "I'm gonna go change first, though."

"'Kay."

As Robert left the room, Sam turned to grin at the brunette in the doorway. "Did I upset him?"

She shook her head. "I think you're helping him."

**LALALALALALALALALALALA—**

Amy Fry was start her walk home from Lawrence Senior High when the rumble of a muscle car's engine pulled up next to her and she recognized the familiar smile she'd been introduced to earlier that day.

"Hey, Amy," Dean grinned. "I was thinking, you told me to come find you, but I'm sure my…," he hesitated with saying Mom again and corrected himself, "Emily wouldn't mind if I had someone over for dinner."

"I um…" she clammed up. "I can't."

"Oh. Well, you haven't declined my invitation for the picnic, too, I hope."

The red-head shook her head. "No, it's Saturday, right?"

He nodded. "Saturday at two."

"Yeah, that's okay."

"D'you need a ride home?"

She shook her head. "No. My dad's not fond of…you know. He's just a typical father," Amy replied. "Thank you, though."

"Maybe some other time."

Amy nodded. "Bye, Dean."

"See you tomorrow," he stated before driving off in his beloved Impala.

**LALALALALALALALALA—**

Sam heard the rumble of the Impala engine in the driveway and ran to the front door to greet him. "Dean!"

Dean was more than surprised to see his little brother's smile again. "Hey, bud," he grinned. "What's with all the smiles?"

"Emily and me made cookies and brownies," Sam replied happily. "Robert showed me how to lawyer."

"You mean to BE a lawyer?"

"Yeah! It's not easy."

"Well, I guess you didn't need me today, after all, huh?"

Sam shook his head. "I saved you a cookie, though!" he exclaimed, dragging his big brother into the kitchen where Emily and Robert were seated in their normal places.

"Hey, Dean," Emily greeted. "How was your FIRST day of school?"

"Good. I uh, I invited someone to the picnic Saturday, if that's alright."

"Of course it is. I'm sure there's enough food."

"A girl, I'm assuming?" Robert chuckled. "By the grin on your face, it's kind of easy to tell."

Dean laughed. "Amy Fry," he stated.

Emily's smile faltered for a moment and then returned. "You got her to talk?"

"Sure… Is that a hard thing to do?"

"She's always very quiet and concealed when I see her around, but I'm glad someone did."

Dean gave her an inquisitive look.

"Nothing, she just…I don't know. It's not her; I just think there's something going on with her family… Her father… He's a very aggressive man, so I'm always a little concerned about her. But I'm glad you invited, Dean. Happy to hear you're making friends here now that you're showing up for school."

The elder Winchester brother tried to give her a smile, but the way Amy had faltered when talking about her father combined with what Emily had just told him set something off in his head.

Maybe all wasn't well with her family.

**A/N: Holy crabapples. I wrote this in one day and its seven pages long. Hot damn.**

**It excites me what's going on in the story.**

**I'm proud of myself; I didn't get any writing assistance, just an opinion on one paragraph from Monte. God Bless that girl, she puts up with me and my annoyance constantly just for you guys.**

**Leave a review, please?**

**XxCrash.And.BurnXx**


	5. Weekend 1: The Picnic

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Not only did this feel strange to Dean, but it felt bizarrely…_right_. His brother and him playing some stupid board game with the Connors in the living room with a PG-rated movie occupying the job of background noise—as if the surprising intensity a game of Monopoly could bring on wasn't enough.

"Dean, I wanted that!"

He glanced over at his baby brother's subtle, effortless pout and caved. "Fine, I'll leave it, but next time I land on it, it's mine."

Sam rolled the dice. "Not if I land on it first," he murmured with a small grin.

Dean could care less about the game. For the first time in four months, his little brother was smiling; happy. He couldn't ask for anything better.

**( SN ) ( SN ) ( SN )**

Dean pulled up to the junior high of Lawrence South where his brother was supposed to be waiting for him. He'd dropped him off here this morning, he knew that much, but he didn't see Sammy anywhere on the sidewalk in the tidal wave of middle schoolers. Sighing, he stopped the engine of his car and got out just as he spotted Sam emerging from the school with a cute blonde girl about his age, holding her books so she could one by one put them in her purple backpack. Dean couldn't help but smirk to himself.

"Thanks, Sam," she smiled as she zipped up her bag and went to find her ride. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Kelly," Sam said with an undeniable grin that almost immediately disappeared when he saw the smirk his big brother was wearing.

"Girlfriend on the first day, eh, Sammy? I'm proud," Dean chuckled as he went to get back in the driver's side of the Impala.

Sam got into the passenger's side, tossing his backpack into the backseat before settling into his side of the bench seat. "Shut up."

"She's cute… Ya know, for a seventh grader."

"Shut up."

"Other than Blondie, how'd it go?"

"Fine."

"…Fine?"

"What do you want me to say? It was school. Kelly showed me around; I accidentally slept through math and almost got detention for it."

"Almost?"

Sam gave him an exasperated look. "The teacher knew who I was."

"New kid?…"

"The kid that had the mental breakdown."

Dean ruffled his hair. "Eh, it's alright, Sammy. You've got Blondie now."

"Stop calling her that, her name's Kelly."

"Her nickname's Blondie."

Sam rolled his eyes and turned to face the window. Maybe if he didn't say anything, his brother wouldn't continue to mock him about the only friend he'd made that day.

When the two of them got home, Emily was kneeling in front of the garden by the front porch, the butt of her torn denim shorts covered in dirt and the phone pressed to her right ear while she chatted to what was assumed to be someone coming to the picnic-barbecue on Saturday.

"Hey, boys," she called over her shoulder, muttering something into the phone before setting it in the grass next to her feet. "So," she drawled, "how was it?"

Sam was about to answer her, since the question had been directed most obviously at him, but Dean interrupted his intake of air to talk.

"Sammy's got a little girlfriend," he grinned.

"I'm going in the house now," Sam stated with an annoyed sigh.

"Hang on!" Emily laughed, tugging on his backpack to pull him back towards where she was standing as Dean went inside to get something to eat. He was hoping there were some baked goods left.

"What?" Sam made a face as he watched Dean disappear into the house before he turned his attention back to the young woman kneeling in the grass, speckled in soil.

"C'mon, I wanna hear about your day."

Sam made a face.

"Would you rather Dean tell me everything at the dinner table?"

"Her name's Kelly."

"And? What classes is she in with you?"

"The only reason she talked to me was because she saw me leaving the school yesterday with Dean," he sighed. "She wanted to know what happened."

Emily continued with her gardening, glancing up to make sure he was going to go on.

He shrugged. "I hesitated so she took back the question."

"So…" she cast another glance over her shoulder, this time with a real smile, "do you like her?"

"I don't know! I just met her!" Sam tried to play off the blush creeping up to his nervously chuckling cheeks.

"Did you atleast invite her to the picnic?"

"Well, not yet…"

"So you're going to?"

"Why? Does it change something?" Immediately worried he was screwing with the plans, Sam's smile faded from his face.

"No, no! It doesn't change anything, honey, its fine. I'm glad you're making friends."

"Oh."

She barely heard the soft response. "So what do you want for dinner?"

"I get to choose?" His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

"You're gonna help me make it, aren't you?" Emily asked with a smile. "You don't have to if you don't want to, I just thought since you had so much fun yesterday…"

"No, I will," he smiled. "How about barbecue chicken and mashed potatoes?"

"That sounds good. I know I said homework after dinner, but I'm not gonna start dinner until I finish with this part of the garden, so why don't you go get a head start on it, alright?"

Sam nodded and started up the porch steps, disappearing into the house with a swift, dull thud of the door closing behind him.

**( SN ) ( SN ) ( SN )**

_**SATURDAY AFTERNOON**_

Emily had been working for hours to make sure the house was just right for the guests to be arriving soon for the picnic. She'd enlisted Sam's help in the kitchen, mostly because she knew he liked helping her with the food, but also because she knew how nervous he was about Kelly being at their house; especially since he still felt new there himself.

Her husband was in the backyard setting up tables and chairs while Dean did his best to open the umbrella in the center of the table on the patio, by the pool. He was standing on the table, waiting for the click signifying that the umbrella wouldn't collapse again, when Robert called his name. Dean turned around in response, but said nothing.

"You invited Amy to this thing, right?" Rob inquired, curiosity in his voice.

"Yeah." Dean gave him a suspicious look.

"Just her or her family, too?"

The Winchester brother paused for a moment. "Just her. I don't think her dad… She didn't seem to want him to know."

Rob nodded and went back to throwing the tablecloth onto the plastic furniture in front of him.

"Why?"

"Nothing," the elder man shook his head, "he's just… he's very aggressive and if something happened, I wouldn't want you to get in the middle and get hurt defending her. That's all."

Dean said nothing in response; he was already so lost in thought about the consequences of this new girl getting involved with him that he didn't hear his little brother call him from the sliding glass door on the patio.

"Dean!" Sam repeated again, more exasperated this time.

His big brother's eyes snapped in his direction, suddenly aware of Sam's presence. "What's up, Sammy?" he asked as he approached the door where Sam was holding out a chocolate chip cookie to him.

"Emily wanted you to try one. She said it might calm your nerves," Sam smiled innocently.

"How did… Who said I was nervous?"

"She saw you when you were lost in thought earlier, said you were probably nervous about Amy being at the picnic."

"I am not nervous!" Dean declared, louder than he had to which only made his brother laugh.

"Sure you aren't. Just eat the cookie." Sam waved the baked good at him until he snatched it and took a huge bite before disappearing into the house to hide in his room before the party started.

"Did he take it?" Emily asked with a knowing smile as Sam returned to the kitchen, chuckling at his brother.

"He doesn't like that you can read him so well."

"I told you not to tell him I knew he was nervous."

"He would've suspected I poisoned the cookie if I didn't tell him."

Emily couldn't hold back her laughter at that.

**( SN ) ( SN ) ( SN )**

Plenty of people had showed up by two 'o clock, enough to fill the backyard to the point where it was hard to tell where the pool was. At some point, Dean remembered wondering to himself where the fuck all the kids screams and splashing noises were coming from and then he remembered that the Connors' did have a pool – it just was damn near invisible unless you were standing right next to it in the midst of this party. So even while he was standing by a table covered in platters of food, eating almost handfuls of Doritos at a time, he was surprised he could spot Amy making her way through the crowd of people from the gate on the side of the house attached to the driveway. He found himself jumping over several chairs, a toddler and the neighborhood cat in his haste to make his way towards the teenage girl whose arrival he'd been anxiously awaiting for quite some time now.

"Hey," he greeted her, out of breath with an excited grin on his face.

"Wow," the red head chuckled, surprised by how fast he'd gotten through the people. "Nice to see you, too."

Dean's grin widened. "You hungry?"

"No thanks, I'm okay, but…it looks like you were pretty hungry…" She smiled at him and reached up to wipe the Dorito cheese residue on his cheek. "You uh… Did you happen to stick your face in the bowl?"

The excited expression fell from his face in confusion before he tugged his t-shirt up to wipe his cheek off. "Damnit, sorry," he mumbled, a very subtle blush sneaking to his cheeks.

"So…there're a lot of people here," she stated, her voice quivering a little bit. "I didn't expect such a large amount of people to show up for a picnic…"

Dean noticed how anxious she sounded and gently grabbed her hand so he could lead her towards a more secluded part of the party on the lawn where several of the teenagers-tweens from their school and Sam's were playing games and goofing off in the grass. Most of the adults had stayed on the patio where they could watch their kids in the pool and nibble on the food.

"Does your family know you're here or did you sneak out?" he asked, trying to be cautious around the subject of her parents after what Emily had told him the night before.

"I told them I was going to a friend's house," Amy replied with a subtle, yet proud rebellious grin on her lips.

"Hey, it's not a lie."

Dean saw her hesitate for a moment, as if she was about to say something in response to that, but she didn't. He was about to say something else when one of the kids from their school called her name.

A girl looking to be about sixteen, a little taller than Amy but shorter than Dean, was approaching the two of them, her blonde locks bouncing atop her bare shoulders. "Hey, I didn't expect to see you here," she greeted with a friendly smile. "I didn't know you two were…friends." Her gaze drifted from their interlocked fingers back to both their faces. "Nice to see you out and about."

"I don't believe we've met," Dean cut in holding out his free hand to the girl he didn't know. "I'm Dean."

She took his hand with another friendly smile, a bit more flirtatious this time. "Tricia."

Dean was going to make a reference to the fact that he didn't remember her from school, but he spotted his little brother sitting on the swings with Blondie and decided to pay more attention to them than the girl he didn't know.

**( SN )**

Sam was looking at her through his bangs, a shy smile on his face while he picked idly at the dirt caked on one section of his jeans where he had taken a spill playing soccer with her earlier. "Why are you always so nice to me?"

Confused by the question, Kelly looked up at him with a frown. "Is there a reason I shouldn't be?"

"No… Well…I don't think so, no, but… I used to move around a lot and no one ever just took in the new kid. Especially after what happened Monday…I was expecting the school freak to be my next new kid label."

She shrugged. "I don't think you're a freak."

"I don't understand why not," he mumbled. "I looked like an idiot."

"You looked upset," Kelly corrected him. "And I wasn't there to judge you."

"How can you not want to judge when you don't understand the situation? That's what everyone else does."

"Well, I'm not everyone else so why don't you explain it to me?"

**( SN )**

Amy found herself glued to Dean's side most of the time they were around a group of people, sometimes hiding in his side when given the chance. Whether it was because he wanted to grab some more of those chips or Emily needed him to grab another tray of food from inside the house, Amy was tagging along. And, eventually, Dean took notice of her lack of liking to crowds.

"You wanna go inside?" he asked, taking note on her current state, playing nervously with her clothes.

An unstoppable sigh of relief passed her lips as she nodded in response to his question.

With a chuckle, Dean led her through the house, until they were upstairs passing through the TV room and into the quiet of his bedroom. Even though he'd only been living in it for a week, he had already managed to make a teenager's mess of it. It was tidied at Emily's request, but it was still a bit disastrous. The bed was the only thing that looked neat. There was an overflowing clothes hamper in the corner of the room by the closet, his schoolbooks and papers scattered across the desk and on the back of the desk chair, his father's old leather jacket, with the Impala's keys hidden in the pocket, out of sight.

"No wonder you sought me out," Amy laughed, gesturing to the AC/DC poster on the wall. "You saw my earrings."

Dean grinned and nodded as he sat down on the chair, trying not to knock over anything on the desk. "That's why the teacher caught me staring in class."

"Yeah, about that. If you're going to stare, make it less obvious, would ya?" she smiled.

He chuckled and nodded again. "Yes, ma'am." He saluted her. "So you wanna watch a movie or something?"

Amy smiled. "Sure. Movie sounds good."

Dean went over to the collection of VHS tapes and pulled out one at random.

"_The Frighteners _sound good?" he asked.

"Never heard of it."

"Seriously?" he chuckled and hopped back on the bed next to her, knocking her over playfully, after he popped in the tape.

The two of them curled up on top the covers as the movie started. Not more than twenty minutes in, she'd gotten startled by something on the screen and cuddled closer to him, burying her face in his side. Dean cracked a smile, chuckled softly, and tightened his arm around her. Before the movie had a chance to finish, Dean heard Emily's voice echoing through the TV room from the hall, obviously looking for the two teenagers that had disappeared from the party almost an hour ago. The thought made him grin to himself; she was being a typical mother. He liked it that way.

"In here, Em," he called back as he got up to atleast poke his head out of the room.

"What're you doing hiding up here? Sam's been looking for you," Emily replied, then she suddenly turned to Amy sitting on the bed, only half paying attention to the movie now, "and your dad's downstairs…"

"Oh, shit," Amy murmured before she was rushing out of the room and down the stairs.

Emily gave Dean a certain look, one crossed between a silent scolding mother and a concerned one. He slammed the TV's power button off before taking off downstairs after Amy, Emily not far behind.

Downstairs, the first thing Dean saw was the big, burly looking man with a beer gut and scraggily beard, most obviously Amy's abusing father. He wanted to take a shot square to the man's jaw for hurting such a sweet girl, but Sam was standing in the doorway attaching the foyer to the kitchen and Robert had snuck up behind Dean and subtly rested his hands on Dean's shoulders to restrain him if need be.

It probably wasn't a good thing her father had seen the two of them coming from upstairs. Everyone in the room could feel the anger that had just begun radiating off Amy's dad. Amy stayed close to Dean's side, very subtly squeezing his hand for reassurance.

"Hey, Dad," she finally spoke up.

Dean saw out of the corner of his eye Emily ushering Sam and Kelly back out the back door to the party, despite Sam's quiet protests.

"I thought I told you not to leave the house without my knowing," the haggard man growled. He was obviously restraining himself and in that, Dean found no comfort. He was almost glad Robert was standing right behind him.

"I know, I'm sorry. I thought I left a note on the counter to tell you where I went. I must've forgotten to set it down when I left," Amy stated. Her voice was quivering, but she still sounded somewhat confident.

"Go get in the car," her father sounded angry now; not as held back.

"Ken, wait a second. She's welcome to stay. I'll drop her off myself when the party's over," Rob cut in.

"I want her home now," Ken said abruptly. "I want you in the car in two minutes or I'm dragging you home by your hair." That would've been a little funny had he not been completely serious in the threat.

Dean felt Amy's hand shaking in his as her dad swung open the front door and pounded down the steps of the porch.

Rob looked defeated in his failure to let Amy stay out of her house as long as she could and gave Dean an apologetic look before going to find his wife outside.

"You sure you're gonna be okay with him, Amy?" Dean asked, worriedly, turning to face the girl shaking from head to toe next to him.

"No, but I'll sneak out if I have to," she said quietly. "I might um—stop by later. Can it just be no questions asked?" She looked scared and sad so he nodded his head in agreement before pulling her into a quick hug.

"Yeah, sure. No questions asked," he murmured into her hair before kissing the top of her head and letting her go.

Dean was unsure of why she hadn't made a move to say or do anything until she stood on her toes to place a swift kiss on his lips. "Thank you for inviting me," she said politely. "It was nice."

"Be careful," he whispered just before she slipped out the front door, waving once back at him with a wistful smile as she ducked into the backseat of her father's crappy car.

After a long moment, when the car was out of sight, Dean closed the front door and went out back to find his brother. Emily had said Sam had been looking for him before. Upon discovering he was hiding out by the swing set with Kelly again, the elder brother thought it best to leave him alone. He was just floating around the yard if he was needed, anyway. Sam could find him…

"So there's this dance coming up," Kelly was saying, a subtle smile on her face as she continued, "I was wondering if you wanted to go with me."

Sam hesitated. He'd hardly ever talked to girls before Kelly, let alone been asked out by one. After a second though, an undeniable grin broke out on his face, dimples and all. "I'd love to."

"Yay," she squeaked quietly, squeezing him in a hug quickly before letting go. A blush crept to his face as she pressed her lips to his cheek and ever-so-subtly slipped her hand into his, both hidden in the grass between them.

From across the yard, Emily saw the exchange and smiled to herself. Maybe she was getting through to these boys after all.

**A/N: Okay so I haven't updated this in a long time. And for that, I eternally apologize.**

**Between holidays, depression, a heartbreaking break-up and a stress-induced stomach ulcer, things got a LITTLE crazy. So I hope you enjoy the eight pages I'm posting now.**

**And I hope you'll leave a review so I don't feel so totally, completely useless in all of this.**

**:) Renegade87 gets her love, as always.**

**Ex Oh Kyss! (XxCrashAndBurnXx)**


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